Good Samaritan recovering after trying to help man hit by truck in California
A good Samaritan is recovering in the hospital after trying to help a man who had been hit by a pickup truck in California.
While Nicolette Harris was at the 69-year-old man's side, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said the pickup truck driver circled back to the crash scene to hit Harris, too.
The 69-year-old man later died of his injuries, the sheriff's office said. He was hit by the truck at least twice.
"Out of the corner of her eye, a split second, she saw something and she tried to move out of the way. It wasn't fast enough. He hit her leg," Harris' grandfather, Ricardo Aranas, said.
Her boyfriend, Jonathan Anderson, said no one went to help Harris. Instead, she had to crawl out of the roadway herself with a broken leg.
Harris works as a caregiver. She was headed to her first client of the day, according to JB Homecare Referral Agency, which contracts with Harris.
Owner Jonie Dodgens said she was moved to hear Harris stepped in as a good Samaritan.
"What that shows me, it's not just doing it for the money. Caregiving is in her DNA, and that really touched me," Dodgens said.
Those who know her best were not surprised at all to hear of Harris' act of kindness.
"I admire her. I love her, and I admire her and more so now after what she did," Aranas said.
Even though it landed her in the hospital with a broken leg, Aranas said he thinks she would probably still do it all over again.
"That's the kind of person she is. She's a loving, caring person," her grandfather said.
The family is hoping she will be released from the hospital by the weekend, but they expect she will have a long road to recovery ahead.